In view of the recent rise in energy prices for conventional sources, there has arisen a need for the provision of alternate energy sources for various purposes. Solar power has been viewed as one answer to this problem in that there is no fuel cost associated with operation.
There has developed a need for a way in which outbuildings of various sorts may be heated at a minimum of operating expense. Such buildings are often not provided with heat or even power.
In particular, various devices have been proposed for heating and insulating a building by way of windows preexisting therein. Such prior art devices range from simple plastic bubbles over the windows to a number of more complicated devices. In particular devices such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,023,306, 3,946,522, 3,319,378 and 3,148,479 disclose plastic window greenhouses which have some heating effect but do not appear to be designed particularly for that purpose. Various solar heaters such as those proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 246,626 and 3,964,678 have been proposed but are not well suited for use in conjunction with windows since they block the view. Such devices are also unduly complicated and expensive to manufacture. The aforementioned devices also do not provide the desired degree of efficiency or controlability of result obtainable with the instant device. Further, none of the aforementioned devices include provision for humidifying the incoming heated air.